


Red Dress

by inviernos



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, HighSpecs, HighSpecs Week, is anything I post this week going to be canon lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 13:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12190665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inviernos/pseuds/inviernos
Summary: Aranea had been more excited rather than nervous for this night, but that all started to change once it was time for Ignis to pick her up.  But she did have a special weapon in her closet that she had picked out especially for this occasion, and maybe that could help her get some of that confidence back and find the words she'd been meaning to say for a long time now.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Day 3 of HighSpecs Week for the "high heels" prompt.  
> I love how I was putting myself at around 1.5k word limits for each of these things...and then this monster happened lol.

Aranea let out the breath she had been holding in since she began drawing her eyeliner across her eyelid.  She wasn’t usually this nervous.  She was really more excited than anything, but this was a much fancier affair than she’d been used to going to with Ignis.

It was coming up on her one year anniversary of sorts, of finally leaving behind the Empire and taking Ignis up on an offer he had made back at the Vesperpool that he would help to find a place for her in Insomnia if she wanted.  It wasn’t too long after that that she decided that was in fact what she had wanted.  She could no longer justify working for them no matter how good the money was.

It had been rough in the beginning.  Aranea knew with one hundred percent certainty that the Prince nor his friends, or hell, the entire Kingdom had no reason to be distrustful of her.  But on the other hand she couldn’t blame anyone for being suspicious of her.  Hell, if the shoe were on the other foot she probably would have been suspicious of her motives as well. 

“ _That’s the ex-commodore, isn’t it?”_

_“Well I don’t trust her.”_

_“Once a Nif, always a Nif.”_

_“What was the King thinking?”_

She had heard these things almost every day when she first arrived.  Aranea could keep up a front pretty well, so no one knew how much it had actually hurt her to hear these things on a regular basis.  Even if she understood that in the current environment people couldn’t help but be suspicious, it didn’t help it to sting any less.  But over time she found comfort in the fact that at least five people in the city had her back.  Random comments from even more random people in the Citadel started to matter less and less and as time went on, the whispering behind her back had ceased.  Sure, there was still the offhand comment here or there, but Ignis was always the one who made sure to remind her that she had the seal of approval from the King, himself.  And really, that’s all that should have mattered.

She took another breath in and slowly let it out.  It was just the pre-party jitters, but this rate she felt like she would never finish getting ready.  Even though royal events weren’t usually her thing, she was actually kind of looking forward to seeing what tonight would hold.  That, and Ignis had actually used the word “date” when he asked her to attend this royal function with him, which only made her even more excited to see him. 

They had had a few casual meetings here and there under the pretense of just getting coffee or sharing a meal after work, always as friends of course.  Ignis had always said he simply wanted to make sure she was adapting to life in Insomnia alright and offer her support.  But with each cup of coffee and as much as she tried to resist it, she couldn’t help but feel herself growing closer to the man.  And she’d noticed that he’d started to open up to her much more than the few times she’d encountered them out in Lucis.  But neither of them had ever put a label to what they were doing.  By all accounts they were just two great friends hanging out.  Great friends hanging out who were very obviously flirting with each other most of the time.  They weren’t dating, no, but sometimes she wasn’t sure if they even knew for sure. 

But she certainly had no plans on admitting to any feelings anytime soon.

This would be the first time they’d be at such a formal gathering together.  Ignis always looked great to her, but she hadn’t seen him all dressed up before.  And Aranea would be lying if she tried to pretend she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Ignis’ reaction to her in her dress.  She never dressed for a man, but she looked good and she knew it.

The dress was her favorite shade of red.  It was strapless with a draped skirt that ended just above her knees and she had been looking forward to wearing it for too long now.  But she felt that the most important part of her outfit was the shoes she picked to go with it.  They were simple red satin stilettos, but they made her feel like she ruled the world.  She wanted to wear them out of the store the second she saw them.  It was torture, but she managed to save them for this night…aside from wearing them around the house a few times to break them in, she had at least managed to not scuff them before the party.

“Soon,” she said quietly to herself as she thought about the shoes and put the finishing touches on her makeup.

She was checking to make sure her eyeliner was even just one more time, when a knock on her door made her make the slightest dot of eyeliner right above her cheek.

“Who the…”  She glanced at her phone, realizing the time.  “Shit.”

“Coming!” she yelled.  She’d remove the mark later.

She rushed to the door, took another deep breath to compose herself and finally opened it to see Ignis standing there.  Aranea almost forgot to greet him as she took in the sight of him holding a black suit jacket in his arms, his black button up shirt just barely containing his bicep muscles.  She had expected him to show up in something like this, there were only so many variations of black suits a guy could wear, but he looked even better than anything she could have ever imagined.

“Hi,” she said a little breathlessly, immediately looking back up at his eyes.  She couldn’t really hide the fact that she had been ogling him at that point.  But she knew he had been looking at her in much the same way, as well.

“Hello there, yourself.” 

Aranea laughed softly, amused as she watched Ignis’ eyes trail up her body and snap back to her own eyes as he realized he was caught.

“Sorry, I was still getting ready,” said Aranea, not letting on to how amused she was watching Ignis pretend he hadn’t been staring. 

“Do you wanna come wait inside?”  She gestured behind her to the living room.

“You look great, by the way,” she added on quickly.

“Of course.  And thank you.  You do look quite stunning yourself,” said Ignis. 

They locked eyes as he spoke and Aranea was just glad that she still had her door to hold on to for support.

She almost didn’t register his compliment.  As Ignis walked by her into the apartment, a flash of red peeking out from his shirt pocket caught her eye and brought a smile to her face.

“A red pocket square?” she asked; wondering how she managed to miss it in the first place.

“Oh…yes,” he began, “I figured I knew what color you’d be wearing.  I thought it might be nice if we matched.”

Aranea was blushing and she knew it, the only thing she knew how to fall back on was a joke.  “You really took this date thing seriously, huh?  What is this thing, a royal prom?”

“Well no, but…” Ignis stammered.

“I like it, Specs,” she reassured him.

“Well I’m glad to hear it,” he smiled back at her.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry!  I forgot to even offer you water or something.”  Her nerves were starting to kick in again.  “Do you want some water?  I’ll just be a few more minutes I just need to…”

“Take your time,” he shook his head.  “I’m fine.  I’ll just have a seat here, if that’s alright?”

“Yeah, of course.  Sit away!” she gestured to the couch, immediately shaking her head.  “I mean, sit do-…you know what I mean.”

“Of course.  Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”  Ignis smiled reassuringly at her and she was thankful she wasn’t wearing the heels quite just yet or he would’ve made her knees go wobbly.

“Just gotta grab my earrings and put my shoes on and I’m good!”

“I’ll be right here,” said Ignis, making himself comfortable on one of the black couches in her living room.

Aranea went into her bedroom and leaned against the closed door behind her.  She was usually better at this.  Ignis being in her home had already made her more nervous than she’d imagined.  Usually when they were together the conversation flowed a lot more smoothly.  She didn’t think he could tell but she’d just been a ball of nerves the second he’d walked through her door.  Soon they would have to leave and she had no idea what new ways she’d certainly find to embarrass herself. 

She slowly walked back out into her living room, giving Ignis the bravest smile she could manage as she put her earrings on.

“Are you ready?”  Ignis asked.

“Yeah!  Let’s go!”  Aranea said excitedly.  Though her smile faded as time passed by uncomfortably and she began to wonder why the look on Ignis’ face shifted from cheerful to like he had just remembered something funny from earlier in the day. 

“What?” she asked, brows furrowed.

“Aranea, I don’t think they’re going to let you into the party without shoes on…”  Ignis let out a small chuckle.

“Oh-…”  She glanced down.  “Oh right!  Oh god.”

Aranea quickly made her way over to her coat closet where she had been keeping the precious red shoes safe.  She was at least glad that she got to face away from him while she cringed on the inside.  But if she was going to be embarrassed, at least she’d be embarrassed in the hottest shoes she owned.

“Like I said before, I promise I’ll try to keep the introductions to a minimum,” said Ignis.

“Thank you,” said Aranea, she breathed a sigh of relief for at least one thing.  She couldn’t believe she had been so ready to leave her apartment without shoes on.  And that it was all Ignis’ fault.  It was a wonder she hadn’t managed to put two different earrings in.

“But I keep telling you, it really would be good for you to meet some of the council and…” he trailed off. 

“Well…those are high.”  Ignis remarked as she took the heels out of the closet and placed them on the floor.  She remained standing, a smirk on her lips as she bent forward in his direction and carefully guided the shoes onto her feet. 

“Will you be okay to dance in them?” she almost thought she heard him clear his throat.  But bless his soul for thinking four inch heels were high.

“There’s gonna be dancing?” she asked immediately.

“Joking.”  She winked at Ignis before he could say anything.  She was starting to feel herself again already and she might have the shoes to thank for it.

“Now Ignis, I don’t know if you remember this…but I used to fight daemons in heels.”

 _“And I looked damn good doing it_ ,” she thought to herself.

“I don’t know how it escaped me,” he said wistfully. 

“Besides that’s why they make insoles.”

“Alright, got my shoes on finally,” she laughed, “…I think I’m ready.”

“Then let’s be off,” said Ignis.

They both made their way towards her front door.  Ignis offered his arm for her to grab onto and she gladly took it, making sure to flip off the light switch before she closed the door behind them.

“So we’re taking the sexy black car, right?” she asked as they made their way down to the parking garage, still clinging onto his arm.

Ignis let out an amused snort.

“Yes, we’re taking _my_ car,” he answered.

“Good,” she said.  “It’s my favorite car.”

*

“This is so fancy,” Aranea whispered to Ignis as they walked through the main hall of the Citadel and towards the back where the banquet hall was.

“Yes, they did set aside quite the budget for this party…” he said.

If the hallway was decorated this lavishly she couldn’t imagine what the actual party area looked like.  They walked past bouquet upon bouquet of multi-colored flowers in the main hall that sat upon tables draped in sheer black material.  Black gathered fabric hung from the high ceilings and flowed smoothly onto the floor.  She noticed a sort of gold shimmer in the air as well, almost like fireflies but much finer.  She had to stop for a second; admiring the fact that someone had used their magic for decorative purposes.

Ignis was as considerate as ever, continuing to let her hold onto his arm as they walked along.  She really didn’t need it, she was used to being in heels all night at this point in her life, but she didn’t exactly want to _not_ be holding onto him either.  He said hello to several of the people they walked past, and she followed suit, smiling at them politely as they made their way to the main party.

“Sir,” the door man nodded at Ignis before opening the door to the hall.

As soon as they walked inside Aranea was overwhelmed.  The banquet hall was decorated much like the main hall, but everything was bigger.  And much brighter.   The gold shimmer hung in the air here as well, but it was much more remarkable in such a wide area.  There were hundreds of tables with black tablecloths, and flowers in the center on both sides of the hall.  Aranea had to wonder how they managed to fit this many people in one room.

Towards the front, there was a stage area with a small band of strings playing a classical song she was sure Ignis knew the name of.  People in elaborate mostly black outfits were already dancing in the middle of the hall while the King, the Prince and the rest of his group sat at the far end to the right of the space.

“Am I sitting up there with you?” she asked, suddenly a little nervous.

“Where else would you sit?” Ignis turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

“I dunno,” she shrugged.  “I was just wondering if it was royalty only up there or something.”

But she was truly relieved to know he wouldn’t be leaving her alone to make awkward chit-chat with people she didn’t know.

“There’s more than enough room for you.”  Ignis smiled down at her as they walked along.

The walk to the front of the hall felt like it was about half a mile, but eventually Aranea found herself on the other side of the table greeting the King and bowing along with Ignis.  He gave them both a warm welcome, but made sure to turn his attention to Aranea while Ignis spoke to Prince Noctis. 

“Aranea…” he said her name fondly.  “How are you?”

“I’m doing fine, your Highness,” she replied. 

“You’ve been here almost a year now, haven’t you?  It feels like it’s been just as long since I’ve seen you…” King Regis asked.

“Yes sir, just about,” she replied, a smile suddenly spreading across her face.

“It’s good to see that you seem to be quite happy here.  I never doubted Ignis for a second when he spoke about you back then.”

“Uh yeah…” she tried to fight the blush she felt was creeping on her face. 

“I mean, uh…your Majesty!” she immediately corrected herself.  “Ignis has been a great friend.”

“I can see that,” he smiled.

“I won’t keep you any longer though,” he said.  “Thank you for coming, Aranea.   You two have fun.”

“Uh yes, thank you, your Majesty,” she bowed slightly.

“Your Majesty.”  Ignis bowed from next to her.

She almost jumped.  She had been so focused on the King and on trying not to accidently do anything rude for so long that she had almost forgotten Ignis wasn’t with her.

“Would you like to dance?”  Ignis suddenly turned to her.

“We’re not gonna sit down?”  Aranea asked.

“We still have a while before anyone’s set to speak…But if you’d like to sit down, then please…” he gestured toward the tables.

“No,” she smiled, “let’s dance, then.”

“I just hope you can keep up with me,” she said as she glanced back at him from over her shoulder.

Aranea couldn’t tell if the band had ever started playing another song.  Truthfully these songs all tended to sound the same to her, but she figured they wouldn’t start playing anything so different that she couldn’t break out the other trick up she had up her sleeve. 

Aranea led Ignis by the hand to a less crowded part of the dance floor.  She grabbed his left hand, holding it up to the side of them while his right hand went instinctively to her hip.  She heard Ignis make a small noise when she placed her hand on his shoulder and pulled him slightly closer to her.

“I’ll lead,” she said assertively.

“Very well,” Ignis nodded, shifting so that he was standing right in front of her.

Aranea frowned and side-stepped to her right a little, Ignis once again followed.

“No, you stay there,” she said.

“Hmm?” he raised an eyebrow.

“So you don’t step on my shoes,” said Aranea.  “Thought you of all people would know that, Specs.”

“Oh right,” he blushed.  “I may be a little rusty…”

“Ready?”  Aranea asked as she listened for the right beat.

“Ready as always,” he nodded.

“Here we go.”

She stepped back onto her right foot as Ignis stepped forward to meet her.  She gracefully set her left foot down behind her and stepped her right foot over to meet it.  She stepped forward with her left foot as Ignis stepped back.  She moved to the right once again and Ignis followed, never missing a beat even as the music started to speed up.  Even though her dress was on the tighter side, she had to be happy that the fabric was still forgiving enough for her to move in.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” she laughed.  “How do I look, Specs?”

“You’re so good at this I’m not sure I have the skill to comment.  You continue to surprise me, Ms. Highwind.” 

Aranea knew she was blushing and shyly looked away from Ignis for a second.  She hadn’t been flattered by comments on her dancing skills in a while, it only made matters worse that the compliment was coming from Ignis.

“I must admit I didn’t take you to be one for ballroom dancing.”

“Well, you’d probably be surprised at the things my parents made me learn when I was younger,” she trailed off. 

“What’s that look for?” she asked playfully, to the sparkle in Ignis’ eyes.

“I shouldn’t be surprised by how smoothly you move across the dance floor considering how gracefully you moved through the air in battle,” said Ignis.

“Get ready,” he said, not giving Aranea a chance to relish in the compliment.

“Wh-“  Aranea barely got her words out before she found Ignis releasing his grip from her hip, leading her body slightly away from him, and holding their hands slightly above themselves.  She hesitated for a split second before it clicked for her and she loosened her grip slightly, spinning herself around in front of Ignis before gliding back into place, her hand in his once again as they transitioned back into the waltz.

“You just _almost_ tripped me up.”  She teased.

“And yet you still anticipated my movements exactly,” said Ignis. 

“Well, I told you I could dance in these.”  Aranea winked at him once again.

“Just be glad I didn’t try to dip you.”

“I mean…you could, but this isn’t exactly the song for that,” she laughed.

“I hope you’ve found me to be a suitable dance partner,” Ignis said.

“You’ve been great though Specs,” she continued.  “I mean your other hand should really be on my shoulder and not my hip but I won’t hold it against you.”

“Apologies,” he said.

She chuckled as she watched Ignis turn a shade redder, and try to move his hand from her hip.  She caught it immediately and placed it back where it had been.

“Don’t,” she shook her head.  “I don’t mind.”

“Well, if you insist.”  He gave her a relieved smile.

“I do,” she mimicked his tone.

“Hey Specs…you smell really good.”  The words left her mouth before she even had a chance to think about them.

“It’s what I always wear, but thank you.”

She heard Ignis try to stifle a laugh.

“I suppose it’s because we’ve never been this close before…” Ignis trailed off.

“Probably,” Aranea laughed shyly.

They continued to waltz around the dancefloor in their own world.  Aranea had never known a simple waltz to be so much fun but the way Ignis had been looking at her as they moved around the hall was starting to make her think otherwise.  It had been a while since she had done this and her calves were starting to ache, but she didn’t want to stop dancing or leave the privacy of the dancefloor where they could whisper just about anything to each other under the music and no one would hear.  But their fun was cut off once the strings began to play a soft, almost melancholy kind of tune.  Aranea could definitely tell this was a different song now.

“Guess that’s our cue to sit down.”  Ignis gradually slowed their dance down until they were both still.

“Sadly.”  She sighed, disappointed that the few moments of alone time they had had so far were already over.

“It was a lot of fun though, Ignis.”

“It was,” said Ignis.   Aranea linked her arm through his once again and they made their way back to their seats.

Aranea couldn’t fathom how there had been enough employees to serve everyone in the room their dinner in such a timely manner but she didn’t have time to wonder about it for very long.

She had worked up an appetite she hadn’t been aware of while she and Ignis were dancing.  She was beginning to feel a little less bad about having to stop dancing with Ignis with every bite she took.

“Specs, next time you’ve gotta make this for me,” she gestured to the portion of meat remaining on her plate.

“I would if I could, but I’m afraid zu tender gets taxed an extreme amount of money once it gets to Insomnia,” he said.

“Oh my god, it’s zu tender?” she asked, wide-eyed. 

“I should probably slow down then…” she laughed. 

“It might be a very long time before we get to eat this again,” said Ignis.

“They _really_ went all out,” said Aranea to herself.

Aranea could cook for herself, sure, but nothing of this caliber.  Over the years Ignis had given her a few pointers, and had even once helped her bake a cake for a coworker’s birthday, but she didn’t know how to cook like he did.  She could barely describe how half of the food she ate tasted, but he always had all of the descriptors. 

She noticed he had been a little quieter during dinner, but just chalked it up to him being tired from earlier and wanting to eat his food.  Prompto was sitting on the opposite side of her anyway, and she always loved talking to him.

The Citadel employees eventually came back to clean up everyone’s plates in the same record time as they had set them out.

“So I…”  Aranea turned to Ignis to ask what was next, when suddenly the hall began to quiet and a tall man dressed in fine black garments, who she assumed was with the royal council, walked to the podium in the center of the stage.

Aranea put her elbows on the table and looked at the stage, fully prepared to pretend to listen.  She heard the man introduce himself, didn’t know him, and say where he worked in the Citadel, didn’t know where that was either, and just as quickly as he began his voice started to sound further away.  She stared at the man trying to listen, but her mind rotated between how good Ignis looked in his suit and how great dinner was.

The last thing she even heard the man onstage say was something about city planners, and then suddenly the hall began to applaud.  She joined the rest of the audience in applauding as the man left the stage, but suddenly she felt Ignis tap her bare shoulder.  She turned to look at him, concerned, but sure that he was only going to tell her she shouldn’t have had her elbows on the table.

Ignis leaned in closer to her and she felt butterflies in her stomach from the scent of his cologne again.  “Would you like to join me outside for some fresh air?”

He spoke quietly enough so that he wouldn’t draw attention from anyone else at the table, but loud enough for her to hear.

“They’re not gonna miss you?” she raised an eyebrow.

“It’ll be fine,” said Ignis.  “We aren’t the only people not sticking around.”

She nodded and took the hand Ignis offered as he stood up from his chair.  He walked ahead in front of her, her hand still in his because she wasn’t sure where he was headed anyway.  Or at least that’s what she told herself. 

“I thought it was kinda your job to stick around for stuff like this so you could discuss it with Noctis later.”  Aranea asked, realizing Ignis was leading her back to the steps outside of the Citadel.

“Fortunately, I had to be there when they rehearsed their speeches, so we’ve both heard all of this already,” said Ignis.

“It was just a formality that we show up for the party where things would be publicly announced.”

“Ahh I see,” said Aranea.  “Lucky for us then that means we get to hang out here.”

“I do hope you’re having a nice time tonight and that these men aren’t boring you with their endless talking,” said Ignis.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” said Aranea. 

“I’m having a nice time out here in this fancy ass building, I got to eat that amazing food, and maybe taught you a thing or two about dancing.  I’ve had a great time so far, Specs.”

Aranea watched as he removed his coat and placed it on the steps.

“Why don’t we sit?”  He gestured towards the coat.

“I can’t sit on your coat, Specs…it’s too nice.  Like, I’d _actually_ feel bad,” she laughed.

“There are many more where that came from,” he shook his head.  “Standard issue dress uniform.”

“Well,” she weighed her options.  Risking Ignis’ coat for the sake of her dress, especially if it meant her calves would hurt just that much less sounded like the right way to go.

“If you say it’s okay then…” she carefully lowered herself and sat next to Ignis on the steps.

“I am having a _really_ nice time though.  Thanks for asking me to come with you Ignis.”

“Well, you’re the only person I really could even think of going with.”  Ignis said, staring up at something in the sky.

It had become uncommonly quiet outside between them.  The ambient sounds of a few other people talking outside and the noises from the city at night didn’t really register to her as she waited for Ignis to say something. 

“I just hope…” he stopped speaking to clear his throat, almost startling Aranea. 

“Rather, I was hoping that maybe in the future…” Ignis almost sounded shy to her, if it were ever possible.

“…if there were more events like this, you would be okay with accompanying me to those as well?”

“Ignis,” Aranea laughed softly. 

“Is this seriously your way of asking me out?”  She asked playfully.

“It’s possible...”  He turned towards her, a shy smile on his face.

This was the most nervous she had ever seen the man.  It would have been cute if she didn’t feel bad for knowing that he had no reason to feel that way.  But at the same time she was relieved that she didn’t have to be the one to bring it up first.  The ice was broken and now it was her turn.

“Well I mean, I’d definitely consider to coming to more of these things with you…especially if it means I get to see you in that suit again,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows at him. 

“But if you maybe wanted to take me out to dinner or just like asked me to hang out some other time when there aren’t any big parties or anything, I might say yes to something like that too,” she said as casually as she could manage, with somehow also making it clear that she was being completely serious.

“Well, maybe I’d like to ask you out to dinner sometime this weekend…” Ignis began as casually as he could manage. 

“If you’re free, of course.”

“I think…I could always make time for you,” she said.

“I should consider myself extremely lucky then,” said Ignis.

“You’re really not so bad, Ignis,” said Aranea, stopping just short of how she really felt.

Aranea found herself drifting closer and closer to him, and he seemed to mirror her movement.  Ignis locked eyes with her and her lips parted.  She could already feel his breath on her face but he still lingered just slightly out of her reach.  Before she could ask what he was waiting for, he quickly removed his glasses and leaned down to close the remaining distance between them.

“I guess we aren’t dancing around this anymore,” she said in barely a whisper right before their lips met.

Aranea couldn’t help the content sigh that escaped her lips when they finally separated.  She stared up into the soft glow of the night reflecting in Ignis’ eyes, hoping that her own eyes were telling him all of the things she had been wanting to say to him over the last several months.

But at least now she would have another chance to tell him all of those things she had suddenly lost the words for.

“Have you always had that mole?” Ignis said quietly as his eyes traveled to a spot on her face.

“What?”  Aranea’s eyes fluttered open wide and blinked at Ignis.  She was just starting to come out of the daze from the kiss.

“You have something…” Ignis reached up and softly touched her face.

“Oh!” her eyes went wide as her hand went to rest right on top of the hand he had on her cheek.

“That was from when you rang my doorbell when I was trying to fix my eyeliner,” she laughed.

“I forgot to remove it before we left.  Thanks a lot for distracting me, Specs,” she pretended to be annoyed.

“I apologize for messing up your makeup,” he laughed with her.  “But you had to put shoes on…”

“Yeah, I know,” she said.

“If it’s any consolation, I really just noticed it.  It’s this tiny little thing…it doesn’t look out of place though.  It actually looks quite good with your outfit.”

“Well,” said Aranea, “I guess everything just worked out for the best tonight then.”


	2. A bonus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the rating for this little scene is upped to T.  
> The beginning of the after-party of sorts ',:).  
> I'm already sorry in advance for leaving y'all hanging lol.

Aranea couldn’t deny that the air had changed on the car ride back to her apartment.  And she knew that Ignis felt it too.  They had finally admitted that there were actually feelings between them and even kissed; a weight felt like it was lifted off of her shoulders and she was back to feeling completely like herself with Ignis. 

By the time the party had ended, it was already nearing three in the morning but she still didn’t want the night to end, and Ignis was only making things harder for her.  He just had to be a gentleman and offer to walk her back up to her door.  Even though they still had to make an elevator trip up to the tenth floor and it felt like they were both trying to walk as slowly as possible, it seemed like they were standing in front of her door within a nanosecond of exiting his car.

They both lingered in front of her door for what felt like ages.  The events from earlier had given Aranea a second wind.  She knew that she wanted to ask him to come inside.  But she was still on edge; just waiting for the disappointment when he would finally say that it was getting late and that he had to leave.  But he seemed to be going along with whatever random conversation topics she brought up in an effort to get him to hang around a little longer.  She became more and more sure that he wasn’t ready for things to end just yet either.  She noticed him yawn into his hand and glanced at her phone.  It _was_ getting late, it was time to put herself out of her own misery. 

It was now or never.

“Hey you…you don’t work tomorrow either, right?” she asked, hopefully.

“No, we’ve been given the day off fortunately…” he smiled at her.  There was a glint in his eye as if he knew what she was angling towards.

“Do you want to come in?...for coffee and stuff, maybe?” she tried to seem as casual as possible. 

“We’d probably be a lot more comfortable in there than standing around talking out here.”

“I’d like that, Aranea.”

“Great.” 

Once they finally had the door closed behind them, Aranea found that they were both on the same page.  There was no hesitation on her end as he carefully wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, she walked them both backwards and soon had Ignis pinned against the door.  As they kissed his hands slid slowly down her back until they were resting on her hips.

She reached behind him, feeling along the door until she reached the lock.  After she made sure the door was locked, she reached her arms up so that she could rest them around the back of his neck.  She had a feeling she wouldn’t be wearing the red shoes for much longer, but Aranea was glad that they were currently making it a lot easier for her to reach him.  But no matter how tight she thought she was holding on to him, he still wasn’t close enough.

“Aranea…” Ignis suddenly pulled away, “…perhaps we should move?” he said, trying to keep his breathing at a steady pace.

Her own calves were starting to burn even more and she couldn’t exactly blame him for not wanting to stay standing.

“Right,” Aranea agreed, steadying her own breathing.  “The couch…”

“The couch,” Ignis repeated, as Aranea grabbed his hand and led him over to the seat.

“The couch,” she repeated, an eyebrow raised as she straddled Ignis and placed a hand on his chest to gently push him so he was lying flat back against the couch.  She smirked down at him, a shiver ran up her spine as his hands slowly ran up and down, caressing her sides.

The coffee would have to wait until after.

**Author's Note:**

> As always thanks for reading if you made it this far :3


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